BOOK ARTS
book (n.) a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together. (1)
art (n.) creative skill and imagination, producing works for their beauty or emotional power. (2)
I was raised in a creative family. Out of necessity, we built something out of nothing every day—we grew vegetables to can and freeze and picked chokecherries to make jam (or wine!). I learned to take apart a bike, shine it up, and put it back together again; to craft vinyl covers for cabinets that needed doors; to swing a hammer to help my dad tack shingles, build a camper or a shelf for our jam. I enjoy crafting things with my hands.
Words alone are often not enough for me. I tend to imagine an image alongside a poem, or an image might spark a poem in me. I like layers — audio-poems with music & visuals. This has led me into "book arts"—creating my first chapbook, creating collagraph prints, or broadsides merging both poem and image. In the creating, I access a quiet, meditative quality –somehow, feeling more connected to myself, and to the others who may (or may not) experience my art.
PRINTS
Michelle Doege’s, “aura of green,” collage/foilography intaglio
Michelle Doege’s “Avebury,” collage/etching intaglio
Michelle Doege’s “Cannon Beach,” etching/puzzle intaglio
BROADSIDES
Display of broadsides and art at Root of Light launch, Vernon Museum (2023) Photo: Kristin Froneman
poetry broadsides are a combination of poem and image. I have mostly paired my poems with photographs or other people’s art, but since learning printmaking, I aspire to also integrate prints.
“Deep in The Grotto.” Portland, Oregon — Poem & Photo: Michelle Doege
“Light in stone,” Assisi, Italy — Poem & Photo: Michelle Doege
“Hildegard’s Mandala” – Pilgrimage Church of St. Hildegard, Rüdesheim, Germany — Poem & Photo: Michelle Doege
“Still waters.” Salt Spring Island, British Columbia — Poem & Photo: Michelle Doege
CHAPBOOK
After my father died, I was drawn to write a story about life in his community. In his trailer park, people looked out for one another, baked and delivered cookies, helped each other under the hood. So I wrote, and I printed, and I shared my story with a few friends. A few years later, I designed a cover, transferred text to book format, and printed numerous copies. Over the second Christmas without my dad, I stitched together this story, these chapbooks, and sent copies to family and close friends. This instinctive process was the road to my healing, and my door into the world of book arts.
(1) The Canadian Oxford Dictionary
(2) English Oxford Living Dictionary (online)
(3) English Oxford Living Dictionary (online)